The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-20

land one hundred and ninety-one thousand
people who can neither read nor write, and
in the State of Pennsylvania two hundred
and twenty-five thousand who can neither
read nor write, and in the State of New
York two hundred and forty-one thousand
who can neither readnor write, while in the
United States there are nearly six millions
who can neither read nor write. Statistics
enough to stagger and confound any man
who loves his God and his country. Now lin
view of this fact, / am in favor of COM
pulsory education. When parents are SO
beStial as to neglect this duty to the child, |
say the law, with a strong hand, at the
same time with gentle hand, ought to lead
these little ones into the light of intelligence
and good morals. II was a beautiful tab
leau when in our city swarthy policeman
having picked up Il lost child in the street,
was found appeasing its cries with stick
OF candy he had bought at the apple stand.
That was well done, and beautifully done.
But, oh! these thousands of little ones
through our streets, who are crying for the
bread of knowledge and intelligence. Shall
we not give it to them. The officers of the
law ought to 60 down into the cellars, and
up into the garrets and bring out these be-
nighted little ones, and put them under
educational influences; after they have
passed through the bath and under the
book, and teaching them to read the Lords
Prayer and the Sermon on the Mount;
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven Our city ought
to be father and mother both to these
outcast little ones. As a recipe for the cure
of much of the woe, and want, and crime
of our city, give the words which Thor
waldsen had chiseled on the open scroll in
the hand of the statue of John Gutenberg,
the inventor of the art of printing: Let
there be lightw
Still. further: Reformatory societies are
an important element in the rectification Of
the public fountains. Without calling any
of them by name, / refer more especially to
those which recognize the physical as well
as the moral woes of the world. There was
pathos and a great deal of common sense in
what the poor woman said TO DR.. Guthrie
when he was telling her what a very good
woman she ought to be. Oh she said,
. il you were as hungry and cold as | am,
you could think of nothing else" believe
the great want of our city is the Gospel and
something to eat Faith and repentance
are of infinite importance; but they cannot
satisfy an empty stomach You have to go
forth in this work with the bread of eternal
life in your right hand and the bread of
this life in your left hand, and then you can
touch them, initiating the Lord Jesus Christ,
who first broke the bread and fed the multi
tude in the wilderness, and then began to
preach, recognizing the fact that while
people are hungry they will not listen and
they will not repent We want more com
mon sense in the distribution of our chari-
ties; fewer magnificent theories, and more
hard work.
Still further: The great remedial influ-
ence is the Gospel of Christ Take that
down through the lanes of suffering. Take
that down amid the novels of sin. Take
that up amid the mansions and palaces of
your city That is the salt that can cure all
the poisonous fountains of public iniquity
Do YOU know that in this cluster Of three
cities, New York, Jersey City and Brooklyn,
there are a great multitude of homeless
children! You see ! speak more in regard
to the youth and the children of the coun-
try, because old villains are seldom re-
formed, and therefore | talk more about the
little ones. They sleep under the stoops, in
the burned-out safe, in the wagons in the
streets, on the barges, wherever they can
get a board to cover them. And i'm the sum-
mer they sleep all night long in the parks
Their destitution is well set FORTH by an in
cident. a. city missionary asked one of them
''Where is your homer Said he: ~ don't
have no home, sir.n "Well, where are your
father and motherg' "They are dead, sir y
ibid you ever hear of Jesus Christi "No,
I don't think ever heard of HimP "Did
YOU ever hear of Godr' Eyes. I've heard
Of God. Some of the poor people think it
kind of lucky at night to say something over
about that before they go to sleep Yes, sir,
I've heard of Him" Think of a converse
tion like that in Christian city.
How many are waiting for you to come
out in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ
and rescue them from the wretchedness
herel Oh that the Church of God had arms
long enough and hearts warm enough TO
take them up How many of them there
are AS was thinking Of the subject this
morning il seemed to me as though there
was a great brink, and that these little ones
with cut and torn feet were coming on To-
ward it. And here is group of orphans.
o fathers and mothers, what do you think
of these fatherless and motherless little
ones? No hand at home to take care of their
apparel, no heart to pity them. Said one
little one, when the mother died: "Who
will take care of my clothes now" The lit
tie ones are thrown out in this great, cold
world. They are shivering on the brink
like lambs on the verge of precipice. Does
not your blood run cold as they go over, it!
And here is another group that come on
toward the precipice. They are the chill
dren of besotted parents They are worse
off than orphans Look at that pale cheek /;
woe bleached it, Look at that gash across
the forehead; the father struck it. Hear
that Mountaineering cry; a drunken mothers
blasphemy compelledit. And we come out
and we say: 80 we suffering, peeled aud blis-
tered ones we come to help YOU "Too
later' cry thousands of voices. "The path
we travel is steep down, and we can't stop
Too latel" and we catch our breath and we
make a terrific outcry. "Too latep is
echoed from the gairet TO the cellar, from
the gin-shop and from the brothel TOO
late!' IL is too late, and they go over.
Here Is another group, an army OF neg
lected children. They come on toward the
brink, and every time they step ten thous-
and hearts break. The ground is red with
the blood of their feet The air is heavy
with their groans. Their ranks are being
filled up from all the houses Of iniquity and
shame. Skeleton Despair pushes them on
toward the brink The death-knell has
already begun 10 toll, and the angels Of God
hover like birds over the plunge OF a
cataract While these children are on the
brink they halt, and throw out their hands
and cry: 'Helpl help" O church of God
will you help2 MeA and women bought by
the blood of the Son Of God, will you helpI
while Christ cries from the heavens: Save
them from going down; am the ransom.
stopped on the street and just looked at
the face Of one of those little ones. Have
YOU ever examined tine faces OF the neglected
children of the poor, Other children have
gladness in their faces. When a group Of
them rush across heroad it seems AZ though
a spring gust had unloosened an orchard OF
apple blossoms, But these children OF the
poor. There is but little ring in their
l..